Increasing nutritional sources for the community through a household-scale aquaponics system during the covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The growth of water spinach (Ipomoea reptans Poir) and pak choy (Brassica rapa Chinensis) in the aquaponics system with catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and their production cost were studied. The household-scale aquaponics system is made from inexpensive and easily obtained materials for each family to meet their nutrition needs. Methods: Experiments arranged in a complete randomized design (CRD) and obtained growth data were analyzed using Anova followed by DMRT. The manufacturing and operational cost of the aquaponics system is also calculated based on the local price. Results: The study results showed that the highest average fresh weight (37.3 g) and leaf number (43.7) of water spinach were obtained from growing bed A in the first planting period. Meanwhile, the highest fresh weight and leaf number of Pak Choy were 10.4 g and 7.7, respectively. At the final observation, the catfish's average body weight and length gain per week were 5.0 g and 2.5 cm, respectively. Conclusion: The total cost of a household-scale aquaponics system was IDR 1,868,500.00 (about USD 205) without labor costs. It suggested that this aquaponics system is affordable for most Indonesian families.

Keywords

• Aquaponics
• Covid-19 Pandemic
• Nutrition Source